Welcome to the David Livingstone Trust September Newsletter!

We are delighted to bring you the latest news from the David Livingstone Trust and Birthplace Project. 

Best wishes
The David Livingstone Trust Team

Apply now! The David Livingstone Birthplace explores the local community for volunteers

The David Livingstone Birthplace Project, home to the history of Scotland’s famous explorer David Livingstone, has announced that it is exploring the local community for a series of new volunteer positions in the run up to its planned re-opening next Summer. 

The museum team are now looking for a small army of dedicated volunteers to help with a variety of roles including a Cataloguing and Collections Volunteer, Acquisition Committee Member, Community Ambassador, Birthplace Project Learning Volunteer and some very important Gardening Volunteers to help maintain the extensive gardens around the David Livingstone Centre. 

Catherine Cartmell, who is leading the search for volunteers, commented: “Volunteers are such an important part of our team and, whether they can donate just a few hours or many more, we’re incredibly grateful for their support, energy, enthusiasm and genuine commitment to this project. This is a great opportunity to give back to your local community, working on a very special and historic project, and we welcome people who have a wide variety of skills and backgrounds.”

To find out more on how to get involved as a volunteer visit the volunteers section on our website. 

Please note, applications close on 6 September.

David Livingstone Trust wins funding for new exhibition thanks to community support

The David Livingstone Trust has won a £2471 award to fund a new exhibition about the local area, thanks to a major thumbs-up from the local community.

The award from The Coalfields Regeneration Trust was the result of a public vote which took place at Blantyre Leisure Centre. Blantyre is to be the home of a new world-class visitor attraction on the grounds of the David Livingstone Centre, to open in 2020.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust works with coalfield communities to create programmes focused on employment, skills and health.

The award is the second recent show of public support for the David Livingstone Trust. In January it raised £1141 in a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a traditional Victorian display of the legendary Scottish explorer. The display uses lanterns to create the equivalent of a modern slideshow presentation.

Elena Trimarchi, Learning Manager, David Livingstone Trust, said:

"This is a welcome boost to the valuable work we do and will help launch what we believe is an important exhibition for our local community. We're grateful to The Coalfields Regeneration Trust for making this happen and we look forward to launching another exciting project for the David Livingstone Trust."

You can find out more on our website.